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Original Episode Masters on DVD

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An example of 's original master, which is noticeably in low audio and footage quality, similar to A more noticeable difference is that one scene of had dim lighting, animation errors and a close-up shot (as pictured above) that were corrected in later reprints of the episode.

An example of Are You My Neighbor?'s original master, which is noticeably in low audio and footage quality, similar to the previous episode. A more noticeable difference is that one scene of The Story of Flibber-o-Loo had dim lighting, animation errors and a close-up shot (as pictured above) that were corrected in later reprints of the episode.

Before the days of digital high-quality rendering, most digitally-animated shows produced in the 1990s (including VeggieTales) have had to be rendered onto analog Betacam tape through an editing machine. According to Phil Vischer's autobiography, the show's first episode was rendered on two different editing machines as Big Idea did not have an editing machine at the time (Media 100 was rented for the first half of editing, then the footage was dumped onto AVID to finish off editing after the rental time for Media 100 expired, resulting in poor picture quality). Big Idea then officially bought a Media 100 editing machine for the next two episodes, along with a reprint of the first episode. The Media 100 machine used at this time was different from the one that Big Idea had rented before, as the picture now had softness, slight watery quality and a portion of the left side of the picture was cut off by videotape fuzz (the second and third episodes, however were in better quality compared to the first episode, due to being edited entirely on one machine rather than switching between editing machines). Big Idea later switched to an AVID editing machine for editing further episodes beginning with Rack, Shack & Benny, where the picture is back to its full portion and in much sharper, higher quality than the first three episodes, and continued to use the AVID editing system for all episodes (even remastering Are You My Neighbor? with this editing system in 1998) up to An Easter Carol. Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed was the last episode to be edited with AVID onto Betacam tape for its original release. In the 2000s, beginning with King George and the Ducky, all future episodes for their original releases have now been edited on a newly-released digital editing software at the time that renders directly from digital files, resulting in pristine picture quality (however, their VHS masters that contain the necessary openings and closings were still rendered to Betacam tape with AVID, but these episodes do not officially use Betacam picture quality on their original releases.)

Most episodes of VeggieTales from the 1990s (excluding the majority of VeggieTown Values segments) have already been released to DVD, but are now visually remastered from their digital files in pristine picture quality and have such remastered qualities applied as changes to the graphics and animation, sound edits, and color/brightness/gamma adjustments (and sometimes minor scene-cutting). While remastered versions of these episodes are still in print and are easy to find, the original first editions which are easily noticeable by untouched Betacam-rendered footage quality/animation/sound (mostly having the 1994 version of the theme song) were only available exclusively in inferior quality to the public, until one fan managed to get ahold of higher-quality sources of the original Betacam-rendered masters and rip them to the web; These sources were either gathered from official sources found on DVD releases of classroom editions, compilation videos or international dubs–– or reconstructed by merging the original master tapes’ VHS visuals with the remastered DVD sources through opacity, color adjustments and/or Chroma Blur effects in an attempt to recreate the original master quality. Audio sources were entirely ripped from VHS (albeit in high quality and mostly in stereo) in order to keep the original audio intact. The original masters for the Silly Songs with Larry segments can also be found in the VeggieTales event show discs.

Despite this, higher-quality versions of the episodes' original masters (with Where's God When I'm S-Scared? still using the 1994 version) are found on some international releases. While the Australian DVDs for most episodes use their VeggieTales Classics remasters, only three episodes have been remastered from their original masters (as from their previous Everland Entertainment/Word Entertainment releases) for their Australian DVD releases (due to not being remastered at the time): Are You My Neighbor?, Very Silly Songs!, and The End of Silliness? (all of which reused their Lyrick Studios cover art on their front covers), thus causing the original masters for only those three to be available in DVD quality in their entirety and uncut. Alby Singapore VCD releases also have the original masters for every episode (mostly unedited), however some episodes had certain edits applied there (i.e. the opening scene being omitted from the latter episode, whilst the closing credits being omitted from the former episode). In foreign dubs (not counting any international visuals being different from the American versions), the original masters for most of the 1993-1997 episodes (except Very Silly Songs!) are also available in DVD quality on the DVD releases of the show's Arabic dub and also on the VCD/DVD releases of the show's first Mandarin Chinese dub (the latter which rather uses the newer animation version of The Toy That Saved Christmas); however, the visuals as seen on the Mandarin Chinese dub are riddled with watermarks and Chinese subtitles, which can only be ridden if masking from the VHS sources was used to cover those watermarked spots. Some Lyrick Studios trailers with these episodes' clips (from their original or reprinted masters), originally available only on VHS releases, were also leaked in pristine DVD quality on IMDb (originally at a 240p resolution but now updated to 480p, which now has a watermark on the bottom-left corner of the screen).

VeggieTales[]

  • Where's God When I'm S-Scared?:
    • While the episode's original 1993 version is presumed to be unviewable in DVD quality, the 1998 reprint with untouched colors, brightness and contrast was left as is on the VeggieTales Classics DVD release and the 10th anniversary edition DVD (with no sound differences as well), but the picture was cropped to omit the distracting white noise on the bottom and left corners of the screen.
      • However, despite this, the episode's uncropped visuals are found on most international versions of the episode, such as the Os Vegetais DVD release, despite color and brightness adjustments.
      • The faster fade-in of the opening countertop from the 1994 version (in contrast to a slower fade-in from further reprints), the still of Bob reading the letter Lucy Anderson wrote (not freeze-framed), and the interlacing glitches of the countertop background on one closeup shot of Larry are found on the VCD and DVD releases of the first Mandarin Chinese dub, which contain the 1994 master of the episode.
      • In 2025, a fan PixarFan 8695 managed to finally restore the episode's visuals to digitally pristine high quality (and its raw colors) by many restoration efforts performed with an AI video enhancer – therefore greatly beating the one master which is making the rounds in all official releases.
    • The 1994 version of The Water Buffalo Song in uncropped form with untouched colors, brightness and contrast (as from the 1994 reprint) can be found on the DVD release of the STARS classroom edition of The Grapes of Wrath.
    • An uncropped version of Daniel and the Lion's Den with untouched colors, brightness and contrast (as from the 1998 reprint) can be found on the DVD release of Lions, Shepherds and Queens (Oh My!).
    • Despite said sources listed above, the entirety of the episode's 1994 master can alternatively be found on the Alby VCD release (however, here, it erroneously starts right at the part where Bob says "...it's time for the theme song!", leaving out "Okay, Larry...").
  • God Wants Me to Forgive Them!?! is the only VeggieTales episode to be left entirely unedited and not remastered in all reprints (not counting the 1998-2000 or 2004-2006 versions of the theme song and an added 1997 Big Idea closing logo with the "©1998 Big Idea Productions, Inc." byline), likely due to most of the project files being deleted to free disk space while Are You My Neighbor? was in production at the time.
    • However, the 2004 DVD has the picture positioning of one shot of Junior looking up at his hat (when Tom says "Well, what's that thing he's got on his head?") erroneously panned slightly to the right, which didn't happen in the episode's original master. The original version of The Grapes of Wrath without that picture positioning error can be found on the STARS classroom edition DVD release of the same name, despite a few scenes being cut from that release, possibly due to the religious mentions.
    • Despite the VeggieTales Classics VHS using the 1998 reprint's version, the 1998 master in its entirely uncut form can also be found on the Os Vegetais DVD release.
    • Despite said sources listed above, the entirety of the episode's original 1994 master can alternatively be found on the Alby VCD release.
  • Are You My Neighbor?:
    • The original 1995 masters for The Story of Flibber-o-Loo, The Hairbrush Song and The Gourds Must Be Crazy with noisy edges of the picture screen (like with the quality from the first two episodes) can be found on the DVD releases of the STARS classroom editions of both segments from this episode.
      • Alternatively, the entirety of the episode's original 1995 master (including the 1994 theme song, the countertop segments and the 1995 Big Idea closing logo) can be found on the Australian DVD release. However, this release alters one of Bob's lines in the theme song by having "Alright, better get on out there!" spliced from the 1998 audio and dubbed over the original ("Okay... I-It's time now! ...Better go on out there.").
    • Some foreign dubs of the episode (using the visuals from the 2000s international version) oddly had Qwerty's closeup shot from the original 1995 master intact. This was also left like that in the 1998 master.
    • Although not the original master, the 1998 master versions of the opening countertop and The Story of Flibber-o-Loo are available in Stand Up, Stand Tall, Stand Strong! (this one not having the countertop segment) and A Snoodle's Tale.
    • The Japanese dub of The Hairbrush Song, when featured as an Easter Egg on the DVD release of The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown, also uses visuals from the 1998 master (its appearance in said episode, while remastered in high quality, also partially has its visuals spliced from its 1998 master as well).
  • Rack, Shack and Benny:
    • The DVD editions of this episode contain a couple of bits of the original master lying around as follows:
      • During the song Good Morning George, after Junior's singing line "Now there's no time to play, cuz we gotta work all day, and it isn't very fun", a split-second shot of the chocolate bunny's eyes being painted on is taken from the 1998 master, but is spliced in (via a fade transition effect) with the rest of the shot of Bob, Junior and Larry introducing themselves ("I'm Rack,..." "I'm Shack,..." "I'm Benny.").
      • Some shots of the bunny statue rising and the original Bunny Song from the 1998 master are found in the behind-the-scenes feature "Behind the Bunny Song".
      • The closeup shot of Larry when he is struggling to pronounce "Thessalonians" is oddly left intact from the 1998 master near the end of the actual episode itself. This shot was never remastered in future reprints of this episode.
      • The closing credits were always left as is from the 1998 master and were never restored in high quality.
    • The original master of Dance of the Cucumber can be found on the DVD release of the STARS classroom edition of The Story of Flibber-o-Loo, as well as on the pre-show of a rare event disc of Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Samson's Hairbrush (while the latter however uses the version from Very Silly Songs!).
    • A behind-the-scenes feature about the origins of LarryBoy on the LarryBoy and the Angry Eyebrows DVD features the following shots from the 1998 master:
      • A shot from the opening countertop where Larry with the oven mitt on his head hops over to and falls into the sink
      • Larry, lying down near the sink hole with the spoon on his head, saying "They didn't mention this in Veggie Beat magazine."
      • A shot from the closing countertop where Bob hops over to the sink to land on the spoon and catapult Larry out of there
    • Alternatively, the majority of the episode's original master (including faster framerate versions of some scenes) can be found on a DVD release of the Arabic dub, minus the shots that were internationally altered from the American version (not counting an animation error that was seen at the end of Dance of the Cucumber).
    • The Chinese VCD/DVDs keep the slow frame rates in some scenes that were present in the original 1995 first edition VHS releases.
    • Streaming releases of Stand Up, Stand Tall, Stand Strong! contain the entirety of the episode's 1998 master in DVD quality due to using the version that was previously exclusive to VHS releases of the compilation video.
  • Dave and the Giant Pickle:
    • The 2000 reprint of the episode's original master (the visuals are unedited except Love My Lips, which uses Robert Ellis' caricature photo) can be found on the DVD release of Lions, Shepherds and Queens (Oh My!), minus the closing credits, making even this episode also available in almost the entirety of its original master visuals on this release.
    • A majority of the episode's original master (also the original version of Love My Lips with Sonny Bono's photo) can be found on the Alby Singapore VCD release.
    • The original version of Love My Lips (which uses Sonny Bono's photo), as well as the latter portion of the closing credits where Larry-Boy's plunger lets go of the camera, can be found on the DVD release of STARS classroom edition of Larry-Boy! and the Fib from Outer Space!.
  • The Toy That Saved Christmas:
    • The majority of the episode's original animation from the original master can be found on the Arabic DVD release, as well as the original international versions contain some pieces that were later used for the new animation.
    • On the DVD releases of the episode, some clips including Buzz-Saw Louie saying "Billy has more toys than you!" (before the TV static appears), the wide shot of Mr. Nezzer's telescope in a gold-domed candy-cane colored observatory (during Mr. Nezzer's line "Oh, it's working! It's working wonderfully!"), the shot where Larry (from the far right edge of the screen) is shocked when the plunger is about to push the sled down the chute (during Mr. Nezzer's line "...and I'm going to make it up!"), Junior seeing the approaching fence with the danger sign and shouting "Hurry up, guys!", the shots ranging from where one of the penguins zips past and picks up Buzz-Saw Louie, and a closeup of Junior and Larry looking at each other were all left unremastered in their low visual quality and taken from the 1997 master copy, possibly due to file corruptions in the high quality-remastered visuals. (All these unremastered scenes are from the 1997 master of the new animation, not the original 1996 animation.)
    • Oh, Santa!, taken from the 1997 master of the new animation, is included on the VeggieTales Christmas Spectacular! TV special, as well as an Easter Egg on the DVD release of The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown.
  • Very Silly Songs!:
  • Larry-Boy! and the Fib from Outer Space!:
    • The theme song and credits taken from the episode's 1998 master appear on the Korean DVD releases.
      • However, it retains the textless cut used in the 2000s international versions, and the Larry-Boy Theme Song is cut at the end and the credits are slightly sped-up as the show's theme song plays.
    • Most of the episode's original master (minus the countertop segments and the Larry-Boy music video) is included on the DVD release of the STARS classroom edition of the same title.
      • On the other hand, the original master visuals for the countertop segments (minus the localized parts) and the Larry-Boy music video can be found on the Arabic and the first Mandarin Chinese DVD releases.
  • Josh and the Big Wall!:
    • A DVD release of the Arabic dub contains unedited shots of Larry during the scene where Jimmy (while wearing a bandage on his head) says "I've got slushee in my ear".
    • The Chinese VCD/DVD releases are the same as the original 1997 VHS release containing all the unedited shots that were originally present.
    • The Alby VCD release of the episode uses the original master with the unedited shots, despite being paired with The End of Silliness? along with its theme song replacing the 1994 theme and the original credits.
    • A behind-the-scenes feature about the origins of LarryBoy on the LarryBoy and the Angry Eyebrows DVD features the following shots from the 1999 master:
      • A scene of Josh giving a speech to the Israelites (the same shot seen in the What's the Big Idea? promo)
      • The last shot from the closing countertop where the lights flick off, Qwerty's screen turns off and Larry says "Aw, nuts!" (the animation of him blinking his eyes and looking up to the left is cut by a fade-out transition)
    • Streaming releases of Stand Up, Stand Tall, Stand Strong! contain the entirety of the episode's 1999 master in DVD quality due to using the version that was previously exclusive to VHS releases of the compilation video.
  • Madame Blueberry:
    • The Alby and Praise, Inc. VCD releases of the episode have the original master, containing the 1998 theme song.
    • Four clips can be seen in the 2001-2003 theme song:
      • Mr. Lunt hopping towards the camera among colored spotlights during His Cheeseburger
      • Scallions 2 & 3 showing up in scuba-diver suits during the Stuff-Mart Rap
      • Bob and Madame looking up at the treehouse as it lowers to the river
      • All of Madame's stuff falling out of the treehouse
  • The End of Silliness?:
    • The entirety of the episode's original 1998 master (although the Big Idea 1997 opening logo at the beginning was cut) can be found on the Australian DVD release.
    • The Alby VCD release keeps the episode from the original master, albeit the opening scene where Larry has a nightmare and the title card shows up was removed.
    • The original master of The Yodeling Veterinarian of the Alps (with the bear's roar voiced by Robert Ellis) can be found in the Chuck E. Cheese's August 1999 showtape, as well as on the 2001 DVD release of The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown.
  • Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed:
    • Clips of the original master can be found in the trailers for this episode, the second variant of which can be found on the DVD release of LarryBoy and the Angry Eyebrows.
    • The Alby and Praise, Inc. VCD releases of the episode have the original master, with low footage quality.
  • King George and the Ducky:
    • Since this is the first episode to be in full, digital quality, most of the episode was left unmodified on the DVD release. The only change was having the 2001 iteration of the theme song replace the 1998 one.
    • The Alby and Praise, Inc. VCD releases of the episode have the original master (containing the 1998 theme song), while the latter also contained the first 3-2-1 Penguins! Promo.
  • Esther... The Girl Who Became Queen:
    • The 2000 screener DVD and the Alby and Praise, Inc. VCD releases of the episode have the original master, containing all the missing sound effects from the 2003 reprint.
    • The original master was also included on the Lions, Shepherds and Queens (Oh My!) DVD, minus the closing credits. Again, all the missing sound effects are intact, however the very beginning of the audio has the music from the Heroes of the Bible title card for the episode fading into the rooster crowing sound effect.
  • The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown:
  • Jonah Sing-Along Songs and More!:
    • The original master of the sing-along video (including the VeggieTales theme song) is used as a bonus feature on the Australian DVD release of Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie, despite the VHS quality is poorly in this case.

Miscellaneous[]

3-2-1 Penguins![]

See also[]

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